The Supreme Court has announced it has refused the airlines permission to appeal the decisions in the Huzar V Jet2 and Dawson V Thomson cases.
Both matters are now concluded and the Court of Appeal’s previous judgments stand:
- Airlines must pay flight compensation for qualifying delays caused by technical problems as these are not considered an ‘extraordinary circumstance’ under flight compensation regulation EU261.
- Consumers have six years to bring a compensation claim from the date of the flight in England and Wales.
This is a landmark day for consumers in England and Wales. An estimated 11.8 million passengers will benefit from today’s decision in Dawson. An additional 2.36 million passengers per year will now be able to claim for compensation thanks to the Huzar decision which is estimated to be worth approximately £876 million per year.
Today’s news also means holds will be removed on thousands of flight delay claims. Passengers whose claims were on hold awaiting today’s decisions will now be able to pick up their claim with the airline and settle it in line with the Court of Appeal judgment.
Today’s decisions from the Supreme Court have given passengers and airlines alike absolute clarity on the issue.
David Bott, Senior Partner at Bott and Co, said: “We’re delighted that Mr Huzar and Mr Dawson have been vindicated. Two journeys which started with delays have now finally ended, more than eight years later in Mr Dawson’s case. Today’s decisions from the Supreme Court have given passengers and airlines alike absolute clarity on the issue.
“Here at Bott and Co we are proud of our part in this victory that brings English law in line with other European countries for the benefit millions of passengers each year.”